Published by former Mayor George Gardner June 11 2016
The Report is an independent publication serving our community
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... given its population, industry and level of tourism, St. Augustine could begin to grow rapidly. The failure to plan for that growth could result in "perpetual inconvenience."
American Park Builders planning firm report to City Commission, November 1, 1917
 In the wake of this week's meeting blitz to kick off mobility planning, Monday's regular City Commission meeting is dominated by mobility.
The regular commission meeting begins at 5 pm Monday in the Alcazar Room at City Hall, and will be live-streamed on CoSA.TV.
- An ordinance will be considered to allow a temporary parking area at San Marco Avenue and Court Edna for a July 4 weekend pilot parking program.
- An Interlocal Agreement with St. Johns County to use county parking lots for that program.
- A lease agreement to use FEC property on US 1 North for that program.
- A Mobility Update by Littlejohn Engineering Associates, the city's consultants for a mobility plan.
- And a presentation on promoting cultural and heritage tourism by Director Andy Witt of the Cultural Council.
More than 100 residents armed with familiar ideas - cut-throughs, water taxis, peripheral parking, shuttles - attended the 8-hour mobility open house at City Hall Thursday to tack those ideas on city sectional boards set around the Alcazar Room.
Littlejohn's Planning Director George Kramer was particularly interested in one recommendation of consultant American Park Builders back in 1917 - "The need to exercise eminent domain to widen streets creating large blocks surrounded by arterial streets connected to other, more modern routes. The recommended widening included 30 named streets," according to a report summary provided by former City Attorney Ron Brown. (That summary is here.)
"There's a key challenge," said Kramer at Thursday's open house. "This city was established at a time when water was the primary transportation system. Today it's the automobile."
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Sunday afternoon in Lincolnville
Jacksonville jazz singer Mama Blue will perform Sunday at the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, 2 - 4 pm in what Museum President Floyd Phillips says is a "production about Lincolnville - Past, Present and Future."
Phillips will welcome guests, "and then we will be off and reading, laughing and thinking, wondering and celebrating Lincolnville."
Admission $20 per person. Contact 904-687-8779.
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Accommodating
July Fourth traffic
WHEREAS, the pilot program will provide needed data and analysis, otherwise not available ...
Commissioners Monday are expected to modify the city's entry corridor guidelines "In order to gather data and analysis for its anticipated mobility plan" during the July 4th weekend.
The modification will allow "temporary parking sites that do not meet entry corridor guidelines in the July 4th pilot program "limited to free, public, City-managed temporary parking sites that are zoned for commercial or industrial uses only."
The city plans to add some 600 parking spaces in peripheral lots with shuttles during the four-day July Fourth weekend, at San Marco and Court Edna, the former motor vehicle office on US 1 at San Marco, and at the county administration complex on Sebastian View off US 1 north.
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 Encampments may return to the Colonial Quarter
"Encampments, gatherings for Changing of the Guard and saunters are being discussed" for the city-owned Mary Peck parcel "or possibly another site within the museum portion of the Colonial Quarter," City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline says.
The National Park Service recently returned the Mary Peck site on the bayfront to the city after failing to start a proposed Castillo visitor orientation center within a specified time.
It's part of an effort "to increase and promote authentic living history activities in the colonial city," says Sikes-Kline, who has been proactive in recognizing the city's volunteer living history interpreters and preservationists.
An agreement is being discussed with reenactors, the University of Florida which manages 34 state-owned historic properties here, and Pat Croce & Company which leases the Colonial Quarter property.
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Artists' lawsuit in
commission review
City commissioners will meet behind closed doors at 4 pm Monday at City Hall with City Attorney Isabelle Lopez for an update on the year-old lawsuit by four artists against the city's restrictive bans in the historic district.
"Plaintiffs hold the belief that fine art should be available to the public. Anyone, not just the wealthy, should be able to view and buy art, according to the District Court action filed by artists Bruce Bates, Elena Hecht, Kate Merrick and Helena Sala.
"Plaintiffs believe that fine artists are part of the 'real' world. Fine artists struggle to make a living and interact with their environments. Plaintiffs believe that the sale of fine art in public places conveys these messages. Plaintiffs' street marketing is a part of the message of the Plaintiffs' fine art.
"In order for other people to exercise their First Amendment right to share the Plaintiffs' visual message(s) with other people, the Plaintiffs must either donate or sell their tangible expression to that person, so that that person may take the Plaintiffs' tangible object with them and share the Plaintiffs' message with other people as well."
The closed door, or "shade" meeting, is allowed under the state's Sunshine Law for discussions of legal actions by or against the city.
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Historic saunter Saturday
History on the Street Saunter continues at 6 pm, Saturday. Beginning at the Spanish Bakery, the saunter gives participants the opportunity to dress in their favorite historically accurate clothing, giving the public a chance to see different time periods of the city's history.
Members of the Historic Florida Militia, the organizer of the event, will answer questions from visitors about the period clothing they are wearing and offer historical information about the city.
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Local artist models history
 Local artist Leonard Ruel has presented the Ximenez-Fatio House with a scale model of the 1798 building, three years in the planning and creation. Ruel, a retired Pratt & Whitney tool maker in Connecticut, has been helping with real houses since moving here He helped build the first Habitat house in St. Augustine and went on to help with others.
Then to raise money for the program, he built birdhouses that students would paint and sell. The miniature buildings evolved from there.
His first major show of local miniature historic buildings was held in 2013 in the main gallery of the St. Augustine Art Association.
He continued. creating models of the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, the Oldest House and the St. Augustine Historical Society building among others, all donated to the historic sites.
"We are honored to have received Mr. Ruel's artistry in miniature," said Julia Vaill-Gatlin, executive director of the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum. "The model will be displayed in our Museum and education center."
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History's Highlight
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Spanish Bluecoats 1720s - 1760s
The first of two parts of an account by the late Frank Suddeth, Castillo de San Marcos living history interpreter, and David Shepard.
 Few Americans today know that for over 235 years. Spanish soldiers were stationed in Florida and Georgia, fighting Indians, pirates and English soldiers. The homeward route of the Spanish Treasure Fleets ran along miles of primitive Florida coastline from the Keys to the Carolinas. These sea-lanes were considered critical to the global empire of Spain. 18th century British intrusion into the region brought about years of warfare between Spanish and British regular soldiers, colonial militias and respective Indian allies.
Many of the soldiers in St. Augustine were locals, meaning they were born and raised within the city. Additional troops were sent from Mexico, Cuba or Spain From the 1720s - 1760s.
The military garrison (troops stationed at the fort) of St. Augustine was made up of three companies of infantry (about 180 men), one artillery company (about 50 men), and one cavalry company (about 25 men). In 1738 Spain sent 310 regular army soldiers to reinforce the small amount of troops that defended all of La Florida.
Defending the Castillo de San Marcos and the city of St. Augustine was the first priority. Soldiers also manned wooden watchtowers located up and down the east coast from Ponte Vedra to just north of Daytona. They were stationed at Fort Picolata and Fort San Francisco de Pupo on the St. Johns River near what is today Green Cove Springs. They were also sent to Fort San Marcos de Apalache, 30 miles south of what is today Tallahassee,
They guarded supplies, mail and payrolls aboard St. Augustine ships on voyages to other Caribbean seaports. They patrolled the coast and salt water marshes looking for shipwreck survivors and pirates.
The boats they used were called "piraguas." These long shallow draft boats were equipped with a swivel gun (small cannon). Much of the fighting was small unit action, firefights and ambushes, followed by weeks or months of boredom, insects, heat and humidity.
The primary weapon for a Spanish soldier was an Escopeta. This was a Spanish flintlock musket of .69 caliber. The lock of this weapon is different from any other European musket, a large open steel ring above the top-jaw.
Image: Sketch by Frank Suddeth
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The St. Augustine Report is published weekly, with additional Reports previewing City Commission meetings as well as Special Reports. The Report is written and distributed by George Gardner, St. Augustine Mayor (2002-2006) and a former newspaper reporter and editor. Contact the Report at gardner@aug.com or gardnerstaug@yahoo.com
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